Touchscreen including force sensors

ABSTRACT

Computing devices and at least one machine readable medium for controlling the functioning of a touch screen are described herein. The computing device includes a touchscreen having one or more force sensors. The computing device also includes first logic to detect a force applied to the touchscreen via the one or more force sensors and second logic to control a functioning of the touchscreen in response to the applied force.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/423,790, by Tao et al., entitled “Touchscreen Including ForceSensors,” filed Feb. 3, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/976,797 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,600,116), by Tao etal., entitled “Touchscreen Including Force Sensors,” filed Jun. 26,2014, which is a National Stage 35 U.S.C. 371 United States patentapplication of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2012/087073 byTao et al. entitled “Touchscreen Including Force Sensors,” filed Dec.20, 2012, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

One or more embodiments relate generally to a touchscreen of a computingdevice. More specifically, one or more embodiments relate to atouchscreen having one or more force sensors for controlling variousfunctions of the touchscreen.

BACKGROUND ART

According to current technologies, touch sensors within a touchscreen ofa computing device continuously monitor the touchscreen to determinewhether an object, such as a finger of a user, has come in contact withthe touchscreen. For example, in the case of capacitive touchscreens, acapacitive touch sensor continuously monitors the touchscreen todetermine any changes in capacitance that may be induced by contact withan object. However, using such touch sensors to continuously monitor thetouchscreen of a computing device results in the consumption of a largeamount of power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing device that may be used inaccordance with embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a touchscreen including a number of forcesensors, in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing a method for controlling thefunctioning of a touchscreen using a number of force sensors, inaccordance with embodiments; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media that store code for controlling the functioningof a touchscreen using a number of force sensors, in accordance withembodiments.

The same numbers are used throughout the disclosure and the figures toreference like components and features. Numbers in the 100 series referto features originally found in FIG. 1; numbers in the 200 series referto features originally found in FIG. 2; and so on.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

As discussed above, using touch sensors such as capacitive touch sensorsto continuously monitor the touchscreen of a computing device results inthe consumption of a large amount of power. Therefore, embodimentsdescribed herein provide a touchscreen that is monitored and controlledusing a number of force sensors within the touchscreen. The use of suchforce sensors may result in a reduction of the power consumption of thecomputing device because force sensors typically consume less power thancapacitive touch sensors and other types of touch sensors that are usedaccording to current technologies. In particular, the use of such forcesensors may reduce the idle power consumption of the computing device byallowing the capacitive touch sensors or other touch sensors to bedisabled or in low power mode while the computing device is in an idlemode.

In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and“connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should beunderstood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other.Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicatethat two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contactwith each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are indirect physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also meanthat two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, butyet still co-operate or interact with each other.

Some embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware,firmware, and software. Some embodiments may also be implemented asinstructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read andexecuted by a computing platform to perform the operations describedherein. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storingor transmitting information in a form readable by a machine, e.g., acomputer. For example, a machine-readable medium may include read onlymemory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media;optical storage media; flash memory devices; or electrical, optical,acoustical or other form of propagated signals, e.g., carrier waves,infrared signals, digital signals, or the interfaces that transmitand/or receive signals, among others.

As used herein, the term “logic” encompasses any functionality forperforming a task. For instance, each operation illustrated in theflowcharts corresponds to logic for performing that operation. Anoperation can be performed using, for instance, software, hardware,firmware, or any combinations thereof.

An embodiment is an implementation or example. Reference in thespecification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,”“various embodiments,” or “other embodiments” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but notnecessarily all embodiments. The various appearances of “an embodiment,”“one embodiment,” or “some embodiments” are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiments. Elements or aspects from anembodiment can be combined with elements or aspects of anotherembodiment.

Not all components, features, structures, characteristics, etc.described and illustrated herein need be included in a particularembodiment or embodiments. If the specification states a component,feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, “can” or “could”be included, for example, that particular component, feature, structure,or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specificationor claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is onlyone of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “anadditional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one ofthe additional element.

It is to be noted that, although some embodiments have been described inreference to particular implementations, other implementations arepossible according to some embodiments. Additionally, the arrangementand/or order of circuit elements or other features illustrated in thedrawings and/or described herein need not be arranged in the particularway illustrated and described. Many other arrangements are possibleaccording to some embodiments.

In each system shown in a figure, the elements in some cases may eachhave a same reference number or a different reference number to suggestthat the elements represented could be different and/or similar.However, an element may be flexible enough to have differentimplementations and work with some or all of the systems shown ordescribed herein. The various elements shown in the figures may be thesame or different. Which one is referred to as a first element and whichis called a second element is arbitrary.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing device 100 that may be used inaccordance with embodiments. The computing device 100 may be a mobilecomputing device that includes a touchscreen 102, such as a mobilephone, for example. The computing device 100 may also be any othersuitable type of computing device that includes a touchscreen 102, suchas an all-in-one computing system, laptop computer, desktop computer,tablet computer, or server, among others. The computing device 100 mayinclude a central processing unit (CPU) 104 that is configured toexecute stored instructions, as well as a memory device 106 that storesinstructions that are executable by the CPU 104. The CPU 104 may becoupled to the memory device 106 via a bus 108. Additionally, the CPU104 can be a single core processor, a multi-core processor, a computingcluster, or any number of other configurations. Furthermore, thecomputing device 100 may include more than one CPU 104. The instructionsthat are executed by the CPU 104 may be used to direct the functioningof the touchscreen 102 of the computing device 100.

The memory device 106 can include random access memory (RAM), read onlymemory (ROM), flash memory, or any other suitable memory systems. Forexample, the memory device 106 may include dynamic random access memory(DRAM).

The CPU 104 may be connected through the bus 108 to a human-machineinterface (HMI) 110 configured to connect the computing device 100 tothe touchscreen 102. According to embodiments described herein, thetouchscreen 102 includes a number of force sensors 112. For example, invarious embodiments, the touchscreen 102 includes four force sensors112, wherein one force sensor 112 is positioned at each corner of thetouchscreen 102. Various functions of the touchscreen 102 may becontrolled based on feedback from the force sensors 112.

The computing device 100 may also include a network interface controller(NIC) 114. The NIC 114 may be configured to connect the computing device100 through the bus 108 to a network 116. The network 116 may be a widearea network (WAN), local area network (LAN), or the Internet, amongothers.

The computing device 100 may also include a storage device 118. Thestorage device 118 may be a physical memory such as a hard drive, anoptical drive, a thumbdrive, an array of drives, or any combinationsthereof. The storage device 118 may also include remote storage drives.

The CPU 104 may be connected through the bus 108 to a touchscreencontroller 120. In some embodiments, the touch controller 120 resideswithin, or is coupled to, the HMI 110. The touchscreen controller 120may be configured to control the force sensors 112 and any other sensorswithin the touchscreen 102. In response to an external event, such asthe computing device 100 transitioning from a sleep mode, idle mode, orstandby mode to an active mode, the CPU 104 may wake up the touchscreencontroller 120 and allow the touchscreen 102 to be active and captureuser input on the touchscreen 102. This external event can also betriggered by the force sensors 112. For example, when the computingdevice 100 is in an active state, the touchscreen controller 120 mayalso be in an active state and may consume a large amount of power. Thetimer of the computing device 100 can be set such that, when no input isdetected within a set interval, such as 0.5 second, the touchscreencontroller 120 will go into a low power state, or power conservationmode. The computing device 100 may still be in an active state. When theforce sensors 112 detect user input, they may activate the touchscreencontroller 120 and allow the touchscreen controller 120 to handle theuser input via the touchscreen 102. The force sensors 112 allow thetouchscreen controller 120 to cycle between active and lower power stateand reduce the overall power consumption of the touchscreen controller120.

The block diagram of FIG. 1 is not intended to indicate that thecomputing device 100 is to, include all of the components shown inFIG. 1. Further, the computing device 100 may include any number ofadditional components not shown in FIG. 1, depending on the details ofthe specific implementation.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a touchscreen 200 including a number of forcesensors 202A-D, in accordance with embodiments. In various embodiments,the touchscreen 200 is a capacitive touchscreen, such as a surfacecapacitive touchscreen, a projected mutual capacitive touchscreen, or aprojected self-capacitive touchscreen. However, the touchscreen 200 mayalso be any other suitable type of touchscreen. Further, in variousembodiments, the touchscreen 200 is implemented with a mobile computingdevice, such as a mobile phone, or an all-in-one computing system.However, the touchscreen 200 may also be implemented within any othersuitable type of computing device.

A first force sensor 202A, i.e., “F1,” may be positioned at a firstcorner 204A of the touchscreen 200. A second force sensor 202B, i.e.,“F2,” may be positioned at a second corner 204B of the touchscreen 200.A third force sensor 202C, i.e., “F3,” may be positioned at a thirdcorner 204C of the touchscreen 200. In addition, a fourth force sensor202D, i.e., “F4,” may be positioned at a fourth corner 204D of thetouchscreen 200.

According to embodiments described herein, a force is applied to a point206 on the touchscreen 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a finger208 of a user of the computing device may press on the touchscreen 200at a specific point 206. The computing device may then determine theposition of the point 206 at which the force was applied to thetouchscreen 200.

In various embodiments, the force sensed by each force sensor 202A-D isdifferent. Specifically, the amount of force sensed by each force sensor202A-D depends on the amount of force applied to the touchscreen 200 andthe position of the point 206 at which the force was applied. Thus, thedifferences between the amount of force sensed by each force sensor202A-D, indicated in FIG. 2 by arrows 210A-D, respectively, may be usedto determine the position of the point 206 at which the force wasapplied.

In addition, in various embodiments, it may be determined whether theforce applied to the touchscreen 200 exceeds a specified threshold. Thespecified threshold may be determined by a user or developer of thecomputing device, for example. If the force does not exceed thethreshold, then the application of the force may be considered to beunintentional and may be ignored. For example, if the touchscreen 200comes into contact with another item within a user's pocket or purse,the computing device may determine that the application of the force wasunintentional and, thus, may not alter the state of the touchscreen 200in response to the application of the force.

If it is determined that the force applied to the touchscreen 200exceeds the threshold, the functioning of the touchscreen 200 may becontrolled based on the application of the force. In some embodiments,the orientation of the computing device is controlled based on theposition of the point 206 at which the force was applied to thetouchscreen 200. In addition, in some embodiments, the touchscreen 200is activated from a deactivated state if the force applied to thetouchscreen 200 exceeds the threshold. For example, the touchscreen 200may be activated in response to the application of a continuous forcethat exceeds the threshold. In some cases, if the touchscreen 200includes a lock function, the continuous force may include a slidingaction along a particular region of the touchscreen 200, for example.

The schematic of FIG. 2 is not intended to indicate that the touchscreen200 is to include all of the components shown in FIG. 2. Further, thetouchscreen 200 may include any number of additional components notshown in FIG. 2, depending on the details of the specificimplementation.

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing a method 300 for controllingthe functioning of a touchscreen using a number of force sensors, inaccordance with embodiments. The method 300 is implemented by acomputing device, such as the computing device 100 discussed withrespect to FIG. 1. The computing device that implements the method 300includes a touchscreen having one or more force sensors, such as thetouchscreen 200 discussed with respect to FIG. 2. For example, in someembodiments, a force sensor is positioned at each corner of thetouchscreen. In other embodiments, a single force sensor is positionedat the center of the touchscreen.

The method begins at block 302, at which a force applied to atouchscreen of a computing device is detected via a number of forcesensors within the touchscreen. The force may be applied by a finger ofthe user or a stylus, for example. In various embodiments, the amount offorce sensed by each force sensor varies depending on the position onthe touchscreen at which the force is applied.

At block 304, it is determined whether the force applied to thetouchscreen exceeds a threshold. The threshold may be specified by theuser or developer of the computing device, for example.

At block 306, if the applied force exceeds the threshold, thefunctioning of the touchscreen is controlled based on the applied force.In some embodiments, controlling the functioning of the touchscreenincludes activating the touchscreen from a deactivated or low power modeif the applied force exceeds the threshold. In some cases, thetouchscreen may be activated if the applied force includes a continuousforce applied to the touchscreen in a specified position.

Furthermore, the position of the applied force may be calculated basedon differences between the forces sensed by each force sensor. Theorientation of the touchscreen may then be controlled based on theposition of the applied force.

In various embodiments, the touchscreen includes capacitive sensingcapabilities. Prior to detection of the applied force, the force sensorsmay be enabled, and the capacitive sensing capabilities may be disabledor in the lower power mode. The capacitive sensing capabilities may onlybe enabled or switch to active mode if the applied force exceeds thethreshold. By allowing the capacitive sensing capabilities of thetouchscreen to be disabled or in low power mode until an applied forcethat exceeds the threshold is detected, the method 300 provides for areduction in the power consumption of the computing device.

The process flow diagram of FIG. 3 is not intended to indicate that theblocks of method 300 are to be executed in any particular order, or thatall of the blocks are to be included in every case. Further, any numberof additional blocks may be included within the method 300, depending onthe details of the specific implementation. For example, in variousembodiments, the computing device may be used as a digital weight scaledevice. Specifically, the weight of an object positioned on thetouchscreen may be detected via the force sensors.

It is to be understood that, although embodiments are described hereinwith respect to the use of a capacitive touchscreen, such embodimentsmay also be applied to any other suitable types of touchscreens. Forexample, touchscreens that operate according to technologies such asultrasound, infrared, optic capture-camera, optical light scattering, ordiffraction technologies, among others, may be used according toembodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media 400 that store code for controlling thefunctioning of a touchscreen using a number of force sensors, inaccordance with embodiments. The tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media 400 may be accessed by a processor 402 over acomputer bus 404. Furthermore, the tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media 400 may include code configured to direct theprocessor 402 to perform the techniques described herein.

The various software components discussed herein may be stored on thetangible, non-transitory computer-readable media 400, as indicated inFIG. 4. For example, a touchscreen force detection module 406 may beconfigured to detect a force applied to a touchscreen via one or moresensors. In some embodiments, the touchscreen force detection module 406may also be configured to determine whether the applied force exceeds athreshold, as well as the point on the touchscreen at which the forcewas applied, for example. In addition, a touchscreen control module 408may be configured to control the functioning of the touchscreen inresponse to the applied force detected by the touchscreen forcedetection module 406. In some embodiments, the touchscreen controlmodule 408 controls the touchscreen based on whether the applied forceexceeds the threshold and/or the point on the touchscreen at which theforce was applied.

The block diagram of FIG. 4 is not intended to indicate that thetangible, non-transitory computer-readable media 400 are to include allof the components shown in FIG. 4. Further, the tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media 400 may include any number of additionalcomponents not shown in FIG. 4, depending on the details of the specificimplementation.

Example 1

A computing device is described herein. The computing device includes atouchscreen having one or more force sensors. The computing device alsoincludes first logic to detect a force applied to the touchscreen viathe one or more force sensors and second logic to control a functioningof the touchscreen in response to the applied force.

In some embodiments, the second logic is to determine whether theapplied force exceeds a threshold and control the functioning of thetouchscreen if the applied force exceeds the threshold. In someembodiments, the second logic is to activate the touchscreen from adeactivated mode in response to the applied force. Further, in someembodiments, the second logic is to activate the touchscreen from thedeactivated mode if the applied force includes a continuous forceapplied to the touchscreen in a specified position.

In various embodiments, the one or more force sensors include a numberof force sensors, and the second logic is to control the functioning ofthe touchscreen based on differences between an amount of force sensedby each force sensor. The number of force sensors may include a forcesensor positioned at each corner of the touchscreen.

The computing device may also include logic to identify a position ofthe applied force and control an orientation of the touchscreen based onthe position of the applied force. In some embodiments, the one or moreforce sensors include a number of force sensors, and the position of theapplied force is identified based on differences between an amount offorce sensed by each force sensor.

In some embodiments, the touchscreen includes a capacitive sensingcapability, and the second logic is to control the functioning of thetouchscreen by enabling the capacitive sensing capability of thetouchscreen in response to the applied force. Further, in someembodiments, the computing device includes logic to detect a weight ofan object positioned on the touchscreen using the one or more forcesensors.

The computing device may include a mobile phone. In some embodiments,the computing device includes a touchscreen controller to implement thefirst logic and the second logic. In other embodiments, the computingdevice includes a processor to implement the first logic and the secondlogic.

Example 2

A computing device is described herein. The computing device includes atouchscreen having one or more force sensors and a processor that isconfigured to execute stored instructions. The computing device alsoincludes a storage device to stores instructions. The storage deviceincludes processor executable code that, when executed by the processor,is configured to detect a force applied to the touchscreen via the oneor more force sensors and control a functioning of the touchscreen inresponse to the applied force.

In some embodiments, the processor executable code is configured todetermine whether the applied force exceeds a threshold and control thefunctioning of the touchscreen if the applied force exceeds thethreshold. In addition, in some embodiments, the computing deviceincludes a mobile phone.

In some embodiments, the processor executable code is configured toactivate the touchscreen from a deactivated mode in response to theapplied force. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the one or more forcesensors include a number of force sensors, and the processor executablecode is configured to identify a position of the applied force based ondifferences between an amount of force sensed by each force sensor andcontrol an orientation of the touchscreen based on the position of theapplied force.

Example 3

At least one machine readable medium is described herein. The at leastone machine readable medium includes instructions stored therein that,in response to being executed on a computing device, cause the computingdevice to detect a force applied to a touchscreen of the computingdevice via one or more force sensors for the touchscreen and control afunctioning of the touchscreen in response to the applied force.

In some embodiments, the instructions cause the computing device todetermine whether the applied force exceeds a threshold and control thefunctioning of the touchscreen if the applied force exceeds thethreshold. In addition, in some embodiments, the instructions cause thecomputing device to activate the touchscreen from a deactivated mode inresponse to the applied force.

In some embodiments, the one or more force sensors include a number offorce sensors, and the instructions cause the computing device to detecta position of the applied force based on differences between an amountof force sensed by each force sensor and control an orientation of thetouchscreen based on the position of the applied force. In someembodiments, a force sensor is positioned at each corner of thetouchscreen.

In some embodiments, the touchscreen includes a capacitive sensingcapability. The one or more force sensors may be enabled and thecapacitive sensing capability of the touchscreen may be disabled priorto detection of the applied force. The instructions may cause thecomputing device to enable the capacitive sensing capability of thetouchscreen in response to the applied force. Further, in someembodiments, the instructions cause the computing device to detect aweight of an object positioned on the touchscreen using the one or moreforce sensors.

It is to be understood that specifics in the aforementioned examples maybe used anywhere in one or more embodiments. For instance, all optionalfeatures of the computing device described above may also be implementedwith respect to either of the methods or the computer-readable mediumdescribed herein. Furthermore, although flow diagrams and/or statediagrams may have been used herein to describe embodiments, theembodiments are not limited to those diagrams or to correspondingdescriptions herein. For example, flow need not move through eachillustrated box or state or in exactly the same order as illustrated anddescribed herein.

The present embodiments are not restricted to the particular detailslisted herein. Indeed, those skilled in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure will appreciate that many other variations from theforegoing description and drawings may be made within the scope of thepresent embodiments. Accordingly, it is the following claims includingany amendments thereto that define the scope of the embodiments.

1-21. (canceled)
 22. A mobile computing device, comprising: memory; apower source; communication circuitry to interact with a network; atouchscreen having a capacitive touch sensor, the touch sensorassociated with a first power state and a second power state, the firstpower state being a lower power state than the second power state; asensor to detect application of a force on the touchscreen when thetouch sensor is in the first power state; and at least one circuit to:determine satisfaction of a condition by the application of the force;detect the application of the force at a location on the touchscreenbased on output from the sensor; and cause the touch sensor to switch tothe second power state in response to (1) the satisfaction of thecondition and (2) the location being in a particular position of thetouchscreen.
 23. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 22,wherein the touch sensor is to remain in the first power state when thelocation is outside of the particular position of the touchscreen. 24.The mobile computing device as defined in claim 22, wherein the at leastone circuit is to not switch to the second power state when thecondition is not satisfied.
 25. The mobile computing device as definedin claim 24, wherein the condition is satisfied when the force exceeds athreshold.
 26. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 24,wherein the condition is satisfied when the force is a continuous forceapplied for a threshold period of time.
 27. The mobile computing deviceas defined in claim 26, wherein the continuous force is to include asliding action along a particular region of the touchscreen.
 28. Themobile computing device as defined in claim 22, further including aplurality of sensors to detect the application of the force, the atleast one circuit to determine the location of the application of theforce based on differences between an amount of the force sensed bydifferent ones of the plurality of sensors.
 29. The mobile computingdevice as defined in claim 22, wherein the at least one circuit is aprocessor.
 30. One or more storage devices comprising instructions that,when executed, cause a machine to at least: detect application of aforce on a touchscreen when a capacitive touch sensor of the touchscreenis in a first power state, the first power state being lower than asecond power state; and determine satisfaction of a condition by theapplication of the force; detect the application of the force at alocation on the touchscreen based on an output from a sensor; and causethe touch sensor to switch to the second power state in response to (1)the satisfaction of the condition and (2) the location being in apredefined position of the touchscreen.
 31. The one or more storagedevices as defined in claim 30, wherein the instructions further causethe machine to cause the touch sensor to remain in the first power statewhen the location is outside of the predefined position of thetouchscreen.
 32. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 30,wherein the instructions further cause the machine to disregard theforce when the condition is not satisfied.
 33. The one or more storagedevices as defined in claim 32, wherein the instructions cause themachine to determine the condition is satisfied when the force exceeds athreshold.
 34. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 32,wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine the condition issatisfied when the force is applied in excess of a threshold amount forat least a threshold period of time.
 35. The one or more storage devicesas defined in claim 32, wherein the instructions cause the machine todetermine the condition is satisfied when the force includes a slidingaction along a particular region of the touchscreen and is applied inexcess of a threshold amount for at least a threshold period of time.36. The one or more storage devices as defined in claim 30, wherein theinstructions further cause the machine to determine the location of theapplication of the force based on differences between an amount of theforce sensed by different ones of a plurality of sensors.
 37. A mobilecomputing device, comprising: a power source; means for connecting witha network; a touchscreen having a capacitive touch sensor, the touchsensor associated with a first power state and a second power state, thefirst power state being a lower power state than the second power state;means for sensing application of a force on the touchscreen when thecapacitive touch sensor is in the first power state; means forcontrolling the touchscreen by: determining satisfaction of a conditionby the application of the force; and detecting the application of theforce at a location on the touchscreen based on an output from the meansfor sensing; and causing the touch sensor to switch to the second powerstate in response to (1) the satisfaction of the condition and (2) thelocation being in a particular position of the touchscreen.
 38. Themobile computing device as defined in claim 37, wherein the touch sensoris to remain in the first power state when the location is outside ofthe particular position of the touchscreen.
 39. The mobile computingdevice as defined in claim 37, wherein the means for controlling is todisregard the force when the condition is not satisfied.
 40. The mobilecomputing device as defined in claim 39, wherein the condition issatisfied when the force exceeds a threshold.
 41. The mobile computingdevice as defined in claim 39, wherein the force is applied in excess ofa threshold amount for at least a threshold period of time.
 42. Themobile computing device as defined in claim 39, wherein the force is toinclude a sliding action along a particular region of the touchscreenand is applied in excess of a threshold amount for at least a thresholdperiod of time.
 43. The mobile computing device as defined in claim 37,wherein the means for controlling is to determine the location of theapplication of the force based on differences between an amount of theforce sensed by different ones of a plurality of the means for sensing.